


now that i don't care

by Envious_Yet (parkbom)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, possibly inaccurate representation of ocd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-02-03
Packaged: 2017-11-28 00:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkbom/pseuds/Envious_Yet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Midorima has OCD. Takao helps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	now that i don't care

**(i) repeat**

 

They have a system; Takao cooks dinner and Midorima washes the dishes, then puts them away as carefully as he likes, while Takao sits, smiling and relaxed, at the dinner table.

 

He watches carefully, though, at the meticulous way Midorima works—his hands steady with each dish, first rinsing it in water, then soaping it with a fresh sponge, then rinsing it again. He places each dish to the left of the sink and lets it air dry while he washes the others.

 

When he’s done washing, he dries with a laundered washcloth, hands rubbing over each plate until not even a single drop of water is left. Then he stacks the dried plates on top of each other, carries them to the dish cabinet, and places them inside.

 

Takao sees when Midorima rotates one 45 degrees to the right, until its edges line up with the others; he sees Midorima’s pleased smile when they click together just so; he sees how slowly, carefully Midorima closes the door to the cabinet.

 

Then Midorima repeats the process with the silverware, the glasses, and, finally, the pots and pans Takao used to make their dinner.

 

Takao waits, and watches, for Midorima to finish.

 

     **(ii) first**

 

Before Midorima had Takao, he had Akashi.

 

They’re not the same at all, Akashi and Takao, in a lot of aspects, but Akashi saves Midorima from having life divided by before Takao and during Takao [and after Takao].

 

One day during middle school, Midorima sits beside Murasakibara and takes out his perfectly portioned lunchbox, and eats everything in order, from right to left, how it’s supposed to be eaten.

 

His lucky item sits at his left elbow, a little beanie-baby robin that he spent all morning trying to find. Murasakibara peers curiously at Midorima’s scrupulous bento, and opens his mouth to say something, but Akashi cuts in.

 

“Atsushi, did you want another snack?” Akashi holds up bag of sweets, and Murasakibara is instantly distracted.

 

Midorima doesn’t acknowledge Akashi, not for that, but when he finishes his bento he leaves with a single goodbye.

 

     **(iii) joker**

When Midorima’s card-tower comes toppling down, each card fluttering to the ground and scattering all over the gym floor, Takao instantly bends down to pick to pick them up.

 

Midorima stares ahead, eyes narrowed and angry.

 

“I’ll just get these picked up then, Shin-chan,” Takao babbles pleasantly, “and we can go home and set them up in your room where they belong. It’ll be fine.”

 

Midorima kneels beside him, gaze no longer fixated on the poor benchwarmer who knocked a water bottle into his lucky tower, and Takao feels Midorima’s breath on his shoulder.

 

“You even left the jokers in,” Takao remarks, distracting, and he turns to face Midorima. Ootsubo frowns at them, but he nods when Takao motions that he’ll be taking Shin-chan out now, thanks.

 

Midorima can’t smile, not like this, but when Takao hands him the full deck and helps him organize it according to suit, color, and ascending order, he lets his fingers brush over Takao’s.

 

That’s good enough.

 

     **(iv) trust**

 

“Ready, Midorimacci?” Kise asks. He runs his fingers through his hair, and Midorima appreciates the way it falls back into place immediately.

 

That, more than anything else, makes him respond with a bored, “Yes.”

 

Kise guides him gently to the seat, sits Midorima down like the little puppet doll clutched possessively in Midorima’s hand, and picks up the scissors.

 

“You’re doing so well,” Kise says kindly. His fingers are cool on the back of Midorima’s neck.

 

Midorima swallows and meets Kise’s golden eyes in the mirror.

 

“Just get it over with,” he hisses.

 

Kise smiles. “As you wish.”

 

Kise raises the scissors, clasps strands of Midorima’s hair in his hands and cuts with one long _shhick_.

 

Midorima focuses on not moving his face at all.

 

Green falls to the ground, but Kise’s face is a moon-mask of beauty, utterly serene.

 

     **(v) bodies**

 

He is as tenacious during sex as he is during everyday life, and Takao loves him all the more for it.

 

Midorima halts that train of thought with his lips on Takao’s neck, with the way he thrusts _just so_.

 

Takao drowns, then, and lets himself cling to Midorima’s back.

 

“Kazunari,” Midorima whispers.

 

It’s nice to know that there is a time when Midorima will let his control slip. It’s even nicer to know that Takao is the only one he will do it for.

 

     **(vi) valentine**

 

“I’m afraid I cannot accept this,” Midorima says. He hands the chocolates back to Sato Hana from Class B.

 

She nods frantically, but pushes the chocolates into his hands, “Oh, of course, Midorima-kun, but please take the chocolates anyway.”

 

Midorima nods dumbly, because he likes chocolate, and watches her leave.

 

“Sato-chan,” he calls, before she can close the door. Sato turns around briefly, face etched in a small, heartbroken, sadness.

 

“Yes, Midorima-kun?” She asks patiently.

 

“Why did you say… of course?”

 

Sato blinks; her eyes are blue.

 

“Because Midorima-kun is dating Takao-kun, is he not?” She states plainly. Then she leaves, sliding the door quietly behind her.

 

Midorima opens the chocolate box and peers into it.

 

He can’t eat them, anyways; they’re lopsided.

 

     **(vii) commitment**

“I _need_ it,” he insists. “You have to have another one.”

 

The store clerk purses his lips, appearing faintly concerned.

 

“I’m sorry, Midorima-san,” because they know him here, “but someone already bought the last one.”

 

Midorima takes out his phone.

 

“Consider this one of my selfish favors,” he tells Ootsubo. “But I need you to do something for me.”

 

And that’s how the entire Shuutoku basketball team ends up in Kyoto looking for a turtle pendant that will supposedly make Midorima’s day 99% luckier.

 

Takao holds his hand until it is safe around his neck, and after that, Midorima holds Takao’s.

 

     **(viii) unhelpful**

“I just thought you would want to consider it!” The psychologist tells Midorima Sumiko.

 

“Well, I don’t,” Sumiko hisses, cold and proud. 

 

She looks like her son, that way, even though his hair is green and hers is black, even though the way he sits quietly on the couch doesn’t make her think he’s as strong as he says.

 

“Come on, Shintarou.”

 

The Midorima family takes great care, and they do so themselves.

 

     **(ix) list**

The most beautiful sound Midorima has ever heard is that of the perfect basket: swish and thunk.

 

Except now he has to add Takao’s laugh and Takao’s moan to that list, so it’s harder to rank them.

 

In the end, he asks Akashi what he thinks.

 

That wasn’t very helpful.

 

**(x) elementary**

“Nii-san,” Takao’s younger sister implores, tugging on Takao’s sleeve, “why’s your friend so scary?”

 

Takao grins and leans down to pick her up. Midorima tries to make his face look friendly.

 

“Shin-chan? Shin-chan’s not scary!” Emi giggles when Takao tickles her chin, and Midorima tries for a smile.

 

She sees his bracelet then, the one with the big frog on it, and giggles at him, too.

 

“He may not be scary,” she whispers loudly, “but he is weird. Just like you, Kazu!”

 

Takao winks conspiratorially at him, and says, “No way. You’re the weird one, Emi.”

 

Emi shakes her little head, but the way she smiles at Midorima, then, reminds him of the way Takao smiles at him. Maybe children aren’t so bad after all.

 

“So, is Shin-chan staying for dinner?”

 

No, no. Children are devils.

 

     **(xi) thank you**

 

It isn’t until Takao drops one of their plates that Midorima realizes his mistake.

 

There _is_ a before and during Takao. There _is_ a difference.

 

His eyes follow the plate as it drops, but by the time Takao is bent over, frantically trying to clean it up, he’s too focused on the blood staining the floor to care about how now his plate collection is incomplete.

 

“Kazunari,” he interrupts Takao’s repeated apologies, “you’re bleeding.”

 

Takao looks up at him with love shining in his eyes.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> (1) On the hair-cutting scene with Kise: I had an OCD friend once who wouldn't let anyone but her best friend cut her hair. This happens before Midorima meets Takao, which is why Kise is doing it.
> 
> (2) I apologize if you think that this is an inaccurate portrayal of OCD, but as I do not have OCD myself, and merely know people with OCD, I had to do some guesswork. 
> 
> (3) This was born because in some fanon representations (and, to an extent, canon representations) it comes off that Midorima is either OCD or autistic, and then I wanted to write a fic about it.


End file.
